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Learn all about safely Canning Corn in a pressure canner. You’ll love having jars of home-canned corn to extend the taste of summer all year long. 

3 pints of canned corn
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The duration of fresh corn season is super short, but canning allows you to enjoy it all year long.

Did you snag a great deal on corn at the farmer’s market, or have a large home garden? Let me show you how simple it is to can this delicious vegetable to build your own stash.

Can You Can Corn in a Water Bath?

Sadly, no, you cannot safely can corn in a water bath canner. Corn, and all low acid vegetables (like canning beets, canning pumpkin, canning potatoes, canning green beans, canning peas, canning sweet potatoes, and canning carrots), must be preserved using a pressure canner. 

This is the pressure canner I have had for ten years and I love it.

You can however freeze corn if you don’t have time to put a batch in the canner. You can check out the details for freezing corn here.

Drain and roast your delicious canned corn to make this Corn Pizza.

Canning Corn Supply List

Check out this in-depth post for a complete explanation and list of canning supplies.

You’ll need:

HOW Much Corn DO YOU NEED For Canning?

For 7 quarts, you’ll want to use ~31 pounds. For 9 pints, you’ll use ~20 pounds. A US bushel of corn is 35 pounds and will yield approximately 8 quarts. Pro tip: Each pint of corn will replace the 14-15 oz cans you find at the grocery store.

If you don’t have a large batch of corn to can at once, you can process just a few jars if needed. It eventually does add up over the season! You need at least two jars in the canner to process the batch safely. 

4 ears of corn on a white board

How to Can Corn

I’m going to walk you through the process here with photos, and you’ll also find a detailed and printable tutorial at the bottom of this post.

Select corn that is ripe but not overly ripe. Kernels should be plump, and ideally, the ears will have been picked in the last 24 hours.

Husk the corn, remove the corn silk and rinse with cool water. Boil the ears whole for 3 minutes, and then transfer to an ice bath. Allow to cool and then remove the kernels.

2 photos showing how to blanch corn

Don’t cut deeper than 3/4th of the kernel and do not scrape the cob. Pro tip: place a dish or bundt cake pan inside a lasagna pan, large baking dish, or rimmed baking sheet. Position the corn cob with the tip in the middle of the bundt pan and cut downward with a sharp knife. You can also use a corn stripper if you’re processing many ears at once.

Wash and clean your jars. It is no longer necessary to sterilize jars before canning (hurray!) but you should make sure they are preheated enough to not crack when placed in hot water.

You can put them in a clean dishwasher and run them through a quick wash cycle, or place them in a large pan with some water in a low-heat oven (my lowest temp is 170 degrees F) until you need them. I’ve even just put hot tap water in them before and left them on the counter.

Wash your lids with hot soapy water. Rinse and place them in a clean bowl for now.

If you are hot packing (see below), cook kernels in 1 cup of boiling water (per quart), reducing heat and simmering for 5 minutes. If you are doing a raw pack, allow 8 (ish) cups of water to come to a boil in a pot or kettle.

Add 3 quarts of water to your pressure canner and put it on a burner set to high. Make sure there is a canning rack in the bottom of the canner.

If you are using salt, add 1/2 tsp canning salt to pints and 1 tsp to quarts. Add the corn to the jars without shaking or pressing down the kernels.

Using a canning funnel, carefully and slowly add the boiling water, leaving 1-inch of headspace. Headspace is the distance between the top of the food and the top of the jar. 

Using a long utensil (I prefer a plastic chopstick), remove all the air bubbles from the jar. 

3 photos showing how to can corn

Clean the rim of the jar very well with a hot damp rag. Any food debris left on the rim may impact the seal of the lid in the canner. Place a clean lid on the jar. Add a ring, and tighten to fingertip tight.

3 photos showing the process of canning corn

Using canning tongs, gently place the jars in the canner. Lock the lid. Soon, steam will start coming through the vent pipe (I call it the steam chimney).

Allow the steam to pass through for about 10 minutes. Then put the pressure regulator (I call it the chimney cap) on top. (see the 4 photo grid below for a visual of this process step by step)

4 steps in pressure canning

Pretty soon, the air vent will pop up. That is a sign that you’re starting to build pressure inside the canner (get excited. This is happening!).

Under normal conditions, hot or raw packed corn needs to be pressure canned at 11 pounds of pressure for 55 minutes for pints and 85 minutes for quarts. See the chart below for any changes to processing times.

4 photos showing the processing times for home canned corn

When the dial gauge reaches 11 pounds of pressure, reduce the burner temp to medium, and start your timer. The pressure must stay at 11 or (a little bit) above for the duration of the cooking time. You’ll likely need to adjust the temp on the burner a few times depending on your stove.

When the time is up, remove the canner from the burner and allow it to sit until you hear a distinctive “click” of the air vent dropping. Remove the pressure regulator and carefully remove the lid (Pro tip: I always use oven mitts when I take the lid off because the steam is super hot).

Let the jars sit for 5 minutes in the canner with the lid off and then lift them out with canning tongsPro tip: allowing the jars to sit in the canner with the lid off can help reduce the siphoning of liquid in your jars.

Canning tongs pulling a pint of sweet corn out of a pressure canner

Place hot jars on a towel where they can sit undisturbed for 12 hours.

After a few hours, to check for sealing, gently press down in the middle of the lid. If the lid has no give, it’s sealed. If you can press the lid in and it pops a bit, your jars are not sealed.

HOW LONG WILL HOME CANNED Corn LAST?

If stored in a dark cool place, jars of canned corn will last for 12 months.

RAW PACK FOR CANNING Corn

Raw packing simply means placing the kernels in the jars without pre-cooking them, filling the jars with boiling water, and processing them in the canner.

Raw packing is much faster than a hot pack process, but there are some drawbacks. No matter how well you pack the jars, the density of the veggies will change during their time in the canner.

This often leads to something called “fruit float” in which the produce will float to the top of the jar, leaving water on the bottom. You’ll find this when you’re canning pears, canning whole tomatoes, and canning peaches as well. There is nothing wrong with it as long as your jars are still sealed.

HOT PACK FOR CANNING Corn

Hot packing involves cooking the corn kernals in simmering water for 5 minutes before packing them into jars for canning. 

The benefits of hot packing are that you typically can fit more per jar, and the near elimination of fruit float. The drawback is I find it makes the corn too mushy for my taste.

PRO TIPS/RECIPE NOTES

  • Some corn will darken after it has been canned. This is the result of using a very sweet variety or the kernels were immature. It’s not a big deal, but I always use those jars within 9 months.
  • Siphoning is when liquid seeps out from under the lids and reduces the overall amount of liquid in the jar. If just a bit of siphoning has happened and your jars sealed, your item is still safe to eat but use your best judgment. I tend to quickly use any jar that has experienced siphoning simply because it can discolor the food at the top not covered in the liquid.
  • Pressure canners can often leave white lines on lids, rings, and jars. It’s totally normal and safe. To prevent this, add 1/3 cup of white vinegar to the canner before processing. 
3 jars of canned corn
5 from 1 rating

Canning Corn {How to Can Corn}

Prep: 30 minutes
Cook: 55 minutes
Total: 1 hour 25 minutes
3 pints of canned corn
Learn all about safely canning corn in a pressure canner. Learning how to can corn allows you to extend the taste of summer all year long. 

Ingredients 

  • 20 lbs corn
  • 8 cups water {for inside the jars}
  • 3 quarts water {for canner}
  • 1/3 cup white vinegar {for canner – optional}
  • canning salt {optional}

Instructions 

  • Wash and clean your jars. Make sure they are preheated enough to not crack when placed in hot water.
  • Wash your lids with hot soapy water. Rinse and place them in a clean bowl.
  • Husk the corn, remove the corn silk, and rinse with cool water.
    20 lbs corn
  • Boil the ears whole for 3 minutes, and then transfer to an ice bath. Allow to cool and then remove the kernels. When you cut, don't cut deeper than 3/4th of the kernel and do not scrape the cob.
  • If you are hot packing, cook kernels in 1 cup of boiling water (per quart), reducing heat and simmering for 5 minutes. If you are doing a raw pack, allow 8 (ish) cups of water to come to a boil in a pot or kettle.
    8 cups water
  • Add 3 quarts of water to the pressure canner and put it on a burner set to high. Make sure there is a canning rack in the bottom of the canner.
    3 quarts water, 1/3 cup white vinegar
  • If you are using salt, add 1/2 tsp canning salt to pints and 1 tsp to quarts. Add the corn to the jars without shaking or pressing down the kernels.
    canning salt
  • Use a canning funnel and carefully and slowly add the boiling water from the kettle/pot, leaving 1-inch of headspace. Headspace is the distance between the top of the food and the top of the jar. 
  • Using a long utensil (I prefer a plastic chopstick), remove all the air bubbles from the jar.
  • Clean the rim of the jar very well with a hot damp rag.
  • Place a clean lid on the jar. Add a ring, and tighten to fingertip tight.
  • Using canning tongs, gently place the jars in the canner.
  • Lock the lid. Soon, steam will start coming through the vent pipe. Allow the steam to pass through for about 10 minutes. Then put the pressure regulator on top.
  • Pretty soon, the air vent will pop up. Under 2,000 feet of elevation, hot or raw packed corn need to be pressure canned at 11 pounds of pressure for 55 minutes for pints and 85 minutes for quarts. See chart in the post for adjusted elevation processing times.
  • When the dial gauge reaches 11 pounds of pressure, reduce the burner temp to medium, and start your timer. The pressure must stay at 11 or (a little bit) above for the duration of the cooking time. You’ll likely need to adjust the temp on the burner a few times depending on your stove.
  • When the time is up, remove the canner from the burner and allow it to sit until you hear a distinctive “click” of the air vent dropping. Remove the pressure regulator and carefully remove the lid (Pro tip: I always use oven mitts when I take the lid off because the steam is super hot).
  • Let the jars sit for 5 minutes in the canner and then lift them out with canning tongs.
  • Remove with canning tongs and place on a thick towel where they can sit undisturbed for 12 hours.
  • After a few hours, to check for sealing, gently press down in the middle of the lid. If the lid has no give, it’s sealed. If you can press the lid in and it pops a bit, your jars are not sealed.

Notes

  1. Quarts: Salt (optional) 1 tsp
    Pints: Salt (optional) 1/2 tsp
  2. Store in a cool dark place for 9-12 months.
  3. Some corn will darken after it has been canned. This is the result of using a very sweet variety or the kernels were immature. It’s not a big deal, but I always use those jars within 9 months.

Nutrition

Serving: 0.5cupCalories: 70kcalCarbohydrates: 13gProtein: 1g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Canning, How To
Cuisine: American
Tried this recipe?Mention @sustainablecooks or tag #sustainablecooks!

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Helping you serve up budget-friendly sustainable recipes with a side of balanced living.
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13 Comments

  1. Thank you for your recipe for corn. I didn’t read it thoroughly and added hot water instead of boiling water inside the jars. Then I did the pressurizing. Now I’m worried. Should I open the jars back up and use boiling water and do it all again?

    1. JoAnn, I think you’ll be safe as long as the jars were put in the canner fairly quickly after being filled. Make a note about it for your process, and just revise/improve it next time.

  2. You are wrong on canning corn w a regular canner. U do not need a pressure canner. My mom used one when I was growing up and I’ve always used a water canner I do not like a pressure canner. They scare me and are dangerous. My corn tomatoes potatoes green beans carrots are all done this way and they seal as good as using a pressure canner

    1. Rose, just because something has been done in the past doesn’t mean it is safe. My dad used to ride in the back window of the car. My mom played with mercury on her school desk. All things that were fine until they weren’t.

      Current best practices declare that corn, green beans, and potatoes must be canned in a pressure canner. If that were to change, I would gladly update my instructions. But teaching people the safest (and only current advisable) way to do something is what I am here for. I will not compromise the safety and health of my readers. You’re welcome to can how you prefer.

      Additionally, the concern with using a water bath canner with low acid foods is not how they seal. It is the fact that the temperature of the boiling water is not enough to kill potential botulism and soil-borne pathogens in low acid foods.

  3. Just an FYI, a bushel of corn off the cob, is 56 pounds not 35 pounds and a bushel of corn on the cob is 70 pounds.

    1. Thanks, Tish. Do you happen to have a link for that stat? I took my information from the National Center for Home Food Preservation and I don’t want to publish anything without a reliable source.

  4. Are you able to use a water bath canner instead of a pressure canner?  If so, what would be the processing time?

    Thank you!